Stephen Becker hosts Beth Torah Oscar preview

KERA film critic Stephen Becker, who also produces the popular Think show, is hosting the annual Oscar preview on Sunday morning, Feb. 17, at Congregation Beth Torah.
The synagogue’s Men’s Club and Sisterhood sponsor the breakfast program, which combines Men’s Club lox and bagels with fabulous Sisterhood desserts.
The breakfast, which is open to the public and costs $10, begins at 9:30 a.m. Beth Torah is located at 720 W. Lookout Drive in Richardson.

Panel discussion on Israeli tech and Texas’ water crisis

In Texas, predictions indicate we could run out of water as soon as 2020. Israeli water expert Dr. Edo Bar Zeev will join Scott Moore and Peter Lake in a panel discussion on “Texas’ Looming Water Crisis: How Israeli Tech Could Save the Day” from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the Ernst and Young Gallery of SMU’s Cox School of Business, 6214 Bishop Blvd. The event is co-presented by American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, AJC Dallas and the SMU John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies.
The three panelists are experts in their fields. According to program materials, “Dr. Edo Bar-Zeev is a senior lecturer in the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, which is part of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research. A passionate advocate for the global access to fresh water, he pursued his interest in the practical application of desalination technology and earned his Ph.D. in microbiology from Bar-Ilan University, followed by post-doctorate work at Yale University. Today at BGU’s Sede Boqer Campus in southern Israel, Dr. Bar-Zeev leads a multidisciplinary team of young scientists who explore subjects ranging from environmental engineering and aquatic microbiology to virology.
“Scott Moore is a political scientist whose interests center on environmental sustainability, technology and international relations. His first book, ‘Subnational Hydropolitics: Conflict, Cooperation and Institution-Building in Shared River Basins’ (Oxford University Press, 2018), examines how climate change and other pressures affect the likelihood of conflict over water within countries. At Penn, Scott is director of the Penn Global China Program. Previously, Scott was a water resources management specialist at the World Bank Group, and Environment, Science, Technology, and health officer for China at the U.S. Department of State.
“Peter Lake has served as a board member of the Texas Water Development Board since December 2015. Governor Greg Abbott designated him chairman in February 2018. Lake has held a variety of financial roles across a number of industries. Previously, he acted as director of research and head of automated trading at Gambit Trading, a member firm of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In this capacity, he led the firm’s market research initiatives and directed the development of its first automated trading programs. As one of the firm’s proprietary market makers he also traded interest rate derivatives, primarily focusing on U.S. Treasury bond futures.”
This event is free, but registration is required at https://whoozin.com/943-XGE-4EKC/RSVP. For more information, contact Sissy Zoller at szoller@aabgu.org or 646-452-3710.

Press notes:
future college athletes

•On National Signing Day, Feb. 6, Hudson Morris, son of Christie and Kyle Morris, signed a letter of intent to play football at Penn State. Hudson is a senior at Shelton School and attended Akiba Academy. In addition to football, Hudson hopes to pursue a degree in engineering. He is the brother of Molly, 15.
•Jordan Rozenblum, son of Deanna and Kenny Rozenblum, a senior at JJ Pearce in Richardson, will play baseball at North Arkansas College in Harrison, Arkansas next year. Jordan is an infielder and right-handed pitcher. He is the brother of Levi, 13.
We love to hear from our readers. Know of other athletes who will play in college next year? Send their contact information to sharon@tjpnews.com.